


You Have to Keep Turning, Your Book Has No End

by gay_jeans



Series: It'll Take You To the Other Side (Barlyle) [2]
Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Barnum x Carlyle, Books, Crushes, Fluff, Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum, Kind of Domestic, M/M, Phineas has a crush on Phillip and it's so friggin cute, Phineas x Phillip, Reading, Reading Together, Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle, barlyle - Freeform, bisexual circus dads, but Phineas is getting distracted by Phillip's facial expression when he reads and can't concentrate, cute fluff, nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 19:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13487763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_jeans/pseuds/gay_jeans
Summary: Prior to meeting Phillip Carlyle, Phineas read quite often.In which, Phineas and Phillip start meeting to read in each other's company, but Phineas is always getting distracted by Phillip's unconscious facial expressions.Fluff, y'all.





	You Have to Keep Turning, Your Book Has No End

**Author's Note:**

> Welp I guess I decided to make this a series! It's probably going to be a lot of one-shots in the same universe, but I don't think you'll have to read the others to get everything. You may want to but idk it's up to you :) This one is after "The Silence is Deafening." 
> 
> If you haven't noticed, I'm using Of Mice and Men lyrics for the titles in this series. \\(O.o)/
> 
> Also - I could not find what time period the movie was set in. I know it's in the 1800s, but I couldn't find what decade. I did the best I could anyways so here you go

Before he met Phillip Carlyle, Phineas read quite often. A little Nathaniel Hawthorne, some Moby Dick, lots of Shakespeare. But that all changed when they started to meet everyday to read in each other’s company.  
  
The first day, they met at Phineas’s very humble home, quite a step-down from Phillip’s. But the younger man never missed a beat, and even complimented how the curtains gave a bright aura to the room. He introduced Phillip to the girls that day as his new friend that would be treated with the upmost respect.  
  
Phillip seemed to have some sort of extremely approachable demeanor, as Caroline and Helen immediately took a liking to him, and vice versa. Phineas felt a weight had lifted from his chest for reasons unknown.  
  
The children worked on their school, then played in their room while Phineas and Phillip lounged in the living room, a book in each of their possession. Phillip's seemed to be as thick as a dictionary. They sat on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other. And that’s how Phineas’s reading frequency slowly declined.  
  
All of his attention had shifted to Phillip’s person, obviously lost to the world and drawn into the literature.  
  
His brow would draw together slightly, a crease forming between his eyebrows. Over time, Phineas learned that was his neutral reading expression.  
  
But then Phillip would look up and meet his eyes and Phineas had to hold his book a little higher to hide his blush, pretending to read.  
  
Some time later, they met at Phillip’s house. The decor was more simple and minimal than Phineas would have thought, given the obviously high value just from seeing the exterior. Surprisingly, that made it all the more beautiful.  
  
Once again, they lazed in the living room whilst reading. And then Phineas became distracted again.  
  
Phillip’s lips would move, just barely, unconsciously mouthing the words. Phineas wondered what exactly those words were.  
  
Every few pages, his eyes darted across the lines quicker than Phineas thought possible. Maybe it was a suspenseful scene or one that was so lovely that he couldn’t soak it up fast enough. He’d have to borrow that book when Phillip was finished.  
  
When they met at the park, spring had begun to draw little flowers out of the ground. It was cold, but the sun had a way of warming them up along with their coats. Phillip had exclaimed to him that he only had a few chapters left in his novel. A infectious wide smile had a lit up his features, one that had Phineas mirroring his excitement. But deep down, or maybe not so deep down, a little part of him gave a disappointed, _oh._  
  
So they sat on the luscious grass, backs pressed to a wide oak tree. Phineas could see him out the corner of his eye. That was enough, because he could see how Phillip’s lips curled into a ghost of a smile and heard a quiet chuckle that accompanied it. He wanted to know what prompted Phillip’s reaction, but didn’t read over his shoulder. This was Phillip’s conclusion to an adventure and his alone. Phineas decided to wait and read the book for himself.  
  
His eyes grazed across his own pages, but his mind wasn’t there. His eyes kept flickering back to Phillip’s profile. Then his gaze caught. Phillip had a tear in his eye. It was beautiful to witness something as complex as human emotion materialize in someone’s expression, all the while wondering what was going through their head, or their heart, or what had caused it in the first place.  
  
The sole tear escaped Phillip’s eye as he closed the book, tracing its way down his cheek. He sighed.  
  
“Not a happy ending?” Phineas guessed, his voice gentle.  
  
Phillip’s smile was soft and peaceful. His gaze was lost to space. “It was a beautiful ending.” He plucked a small, dainty flower from the ground. “For you,” he said. “A perfect bookmark. Until you reach its ending.”  
  
Phineas took the stem with nimble fingers, a stupid smile pulling at his lips. “Perfect.” He marked his page with the flower and closed it. “Let’s meet agin tomorrow. I have a new book I want to read.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, it's super short. But hopefully it was short AND sweet. <3
> 
> I have got to go to sleep earlier
> 
> I wrote this from 2 to 3 a.m. and I'm dead on my feet
> 
> help


End file.
